Neverending Day
Holy Days, Holidays A relatively small ship, with a large shield in place of a traditional mast, sailed the tumultuous seas. The Autumn Island Pieck was the destination of the Round Table Pirates today. Among that ship a number of faces could be seen, but right at the helm, looking over the seas, was their Captain, Dianoir Judith. She was adorned in complete armor today, including her armor, and donned the alias of the "Faceless Knight." Despite being geared for combat, Judith did not seem to carry her spear and shield. Instead, she looked onto her crew member, Maurier Harlan with judgmental eyes that peered through her helmet. "Are you able to handle the spear and shield, Harlan-deshi? Or should I give it to someone else? I can't have it be breaking the ship unfortunately..." Judith had established from the onset that this Squire, Harlan, needed to be kept still, otherwise he'll chatter so much the crew will go overboard voluntarily. Unfortunately, today wasn't the day for that sort of trip. "Pft, I got this Judy." Harlan replied, straining slightly to even hold up the shield and spear. "I gotta ask though, how much protein do you have in a day? This shits nutty heavy." Looking at the horizon that the moving ship granted them, Gwyn seemed to have spaced out and remained quiet for most of the trip, until he heard his fellow squire and Captain. His head unnaturally swiveled towards Judith's location. "Excuse me Judith-dono, but what is it that we'll find on Pieck-hoo?" he asked his large eyes staring at her with wonder. “I GET IT NOW!” Harlan exclaimed. “You always do that “hoo” thing cause you’re an owl thing! Man, I’m a genius.” "You sure you should trust him with those, Judith?" A young ebony skinned girl approached the group of pirates. As she strutted over and the sun reflected off of her radiant skin her identity became apparent, she was Bastian Asha, member of the Round Table Pirates and famous musician. She stared Harlan up and down before sighing, she would lift her hand pointing her index finger upward, you would be able to see visible relief on Harlan's body almost as though the weapons got lighter. "Don't strain yourself too much, you thinking period already strains your body and mind enough." Asha would say to the half mink man crossing her arms. "As long as he sits still, Morsus and Basmartia shouldn't hurt him." Judith chuckled, before responding to Gwyn's more serious question. "We are here o recruit the Holiday Pirates among our ranks. They hold a non-aggression pact with the Xros Pirates, and accordingly, enable them to successfully invade onto other territories using theirs as a base. If we can detach this link from the Xros Pirates, we will be able to cut off their maneuverability. Hopefully, this situation doesn't escalate into violence. If it does, I will keep you all safe." "Why'd we bring Asha along?" Harlan asked. "If I wanted to hear a dying orca try to scream, I'd kill one myself." he spat. He turned to face Judith once again, adjusting the weapons he had been assigned to watch over as he did. "We're tryna invite some people called the Holiday Pirates? What, does that mean we'd have to take things like Easter a whole lot more seriously?" “Dying Orca?!” Asha’s face went slightly dark, she put on a terrifying smile aimed toward Harlan. She then lifted her hand once again, instead aiming her finger down this time. As she would do this those around would be able to see and here the strain that would be put on Harlan and the deck under him as the wood creaked loudly, nearly breaking. “I hope we get to these Holiday Pirates fast, don’t know how much longer I can bare to be on this ship with Harlan.” Asha would say in a calmer tone to their remainder of her crew mates still maintaining the pressure upon Harlan Harlan groaned slightly at the added pressure, but despite what his crewmates may have thought, he wasn’t weak. For one, he had undergone training in the Iron Legion for two years. Not only that, his whole fighting style was based on his physical ability; able to move like a wolf with the strength of a beast. He wasn’t saying that he could easily wield Judith’s weapons, no. Very few probably could, but he could wield them without combusting or caving in under the pressure. Asha’s gravity increase was annoying for Harlan, yes. But Harlan was still standing as he normally did, holding onto the weapons as normal; off the ground. But he was under strain from the weight of the weapons, he was actually impressed with how much Judith could carry. “Don’t start breaking the fuckin’ floor, orca girl!” Harlan yelled. “You’re gonna get dust over the cold storage food. You’re going to ruin my steaks!” “Huh, you must be feeling just like your ‘fans’ right now. I wonder how often the charity’s pay them to hear your whale screech of a voice.” Harlan continued. Athena continued to space out, pickaxe strapped to her back as she stared at the sea. She wondered what relics its depths held. While not a part of the crew she was sailing with, Thena had been sent for the sake of "good will". Her actual crew and this one were in an alliance after all. And they appeared intent on expanding it, even as two members quarreled. She snapped out of her thoughts as the RT Captain spoke. "Do they have any cool items? Or any relics? Cause I wanna study those.." she unstrapped her pickaxe, tossing it from one hand to another. Athena half heartedly wondered if it was bad to bring a pickaxe to a welcoming party. Hopefully they give her a pass. Despite the jokes being at her own expense Asha laughed a bit before returning to her previous state. “They must pay them pretty often considering I always have sold out concerts.” Asha would say smugly before going on. “And don’t worry about your precious steaks, I wouldn’t dream of breaking the ship, considering I’d have that weirdo pervert Frederick on my ass about it, fucking creep.” Asha said shuddering at the thought of her not so fellow crewmate, Frederick “Ah yes,” Harlan began. “The guy who acts like he’s not a virgin.” As the two quarreled, Gwyn flailed his feathered hands about frantically. “P-please, Harlan-san, Asha-san, calm down-hoo. If the two of you fight here we won’t be able to get there-hoo.” He crossed his arms as he collected himself, looking down at his clawed feet. “And yes, Frederick is quite an…interesting person.” Harlan sighed. "I'm calm, owl bro. Asha's just...never mind." he murmured. It seemed as if Harlan had learned a little restraint after his resurrection. "So, Judy. We just stay here while you do the talking?" "For now, all of you will have to stay and guard the ship. I am not sure how friendly these Holiday Pirates are. Hopefully, they are closer to what their name suggests...but you can never know. In any case, we are reaching soon. Harlan, I am keeping my weapons with you, do not lose them." Judith saw Pieck approaching and gulped. "Watch every move, all of you. The Xros Pirates could show up at any minute. If the situation turns dire, contact Brine immediately." "What's wif all of tha noise?" A terrifying giant arose from the lower deck, rubbing his dark red eyes. He donned little clothes and had many scars covering his body and his hair was all over the place but the oddest thing about him was his size. This was none other than Mazikeen Stewart, member of the Sparrow Pirates, he seemed to have fallen asleep below deck without even the knowledge of his fellow crewmate also on the ship with him. "What's goin on, Athena? Who are all of these people?" The large man said in an odd and baby-like tone, not even properly pronouncing his words. ---- Seated atop one of the remains of what was once a large galleon clash ship, Bluebell continued to watch the the waves of the endless sea crash against the remains while simultaneously swallowing the corpses scattered within the immediate area of the sea staining it crimson with blood. Without a single trace of emotion on his face, Bluebell simply vanished in a flash of yellow as the galleon’s remains began to be swallowed by the sea. Appearing in what looked like a desolate dock area he began to make his way towards the large tower that could be see just in the distance. Idly his mind began to wonder dwelling upon the thoughts of his absent captain, something he had become accustomed to at this point. Perhaps he should go out seeking Birthday after all various others within the crew began to also wonder what their captain was up to. Seeing as he was near the tower, Bluebell quickly shook away his thoughts and focused his attention back towards the matter at hand. "Those make the fifth group that attempted conquer this island". He spoke aloud as he entered the tower spearing a single glance at the "guards" assigned to protect said tower. Upon entering the tower he quickly made his way towards the large desk that was stationed in the center of the room. "Perhaps we posses naught but a small threat to the various residential Pirates and organization neighboring Pieck". He continued aloud as his eyes fell upon a large map of the island pinned to the far wall. Turning away from the map Bluebell glances towards the window facing the north end of of the island out into the sea with narrowed eyes as a heavy feeling began to weigh upon his heart. "I wonder what this chilling feeling is". Bluebell spoke softly as he began to wonder if Something or Someone of immeasurable strength had set their sights upon the island. National Holiday Having exited the tower once again; Bluebell made his way deeper within the islands center leaving what was essentially dubbed his "Territory" and entering into the claimed location of another member of the crew. Attempting and failing at keeping his face blank as he crossed the "Invisible" line which diverted the islands territories, Bluebell continued his journey trying to completely ignore the loud and chaotic noise around him; something which was hard as the residents of this section were always rather rambunctious. Wincing slightly at the loud "bang" of fireworks continually erupted overhead in vibrant colorations. Dodging and weaving through the crowed streets and making sure to avoid the daily cookouts and parades that run rampant in the location, Bluebell finally arrived to his destination before entering ignoring the joyous guards who nodded towards him in greeting. "What is the point in arranging a meeting if you’ll simply forgo it?" Bluebell questioned aloud as soon as he entered the building giving the person he was currently attempting to chastise a small glare but stopped as he was already aware where is conversation was likely to lead. "At this point I should know better than to trust you to actually arrive at the appointed time Rosalie". Bluebell finished as he looked towards his fellow National member and the current holder to the title Independence. "Cut me some slack, Bluebell!" Rosalie said with a large smile and a hardy punch to Bluebell's shoulder before going on. "Being Independence is hard work y'know." Rosalie had a stern and loud voice as she spoke with her crewmate. "So what's the plan, Bluebell?" She said with an almost country accent, looking off deeper into their current location. ---- The ship had docked onto the harbors of Pieck. Without taking her weapon, and without even saying anything to the crew members, Judith had leaped off the ship. The ship had suddenly felt a lot lighter, and it had in fact began to float even higher on the surface of the water thanks to the weight of her body and armor being alleviated. To the others, who had never seen their Captain in true combat, this was perhaps going to be an opportunity only visible once in a blue moon. But even this sort of environmental reaction would incite shock from an ordinary beholder. Just what sort of ridiculous strength did that woman carry?! As she landed on the ground, tremors began to pulsate through the sand, sending out a torrent in all directions, and an aftershock so potent that it would alert anyone who was on the island of a foreign presence. Judith stood calmly, awaiting for someone to reach her and begin negotiations, somehow blissfully unaware of the ridiculous impact that her landing caused. ---- "I know that you have sensed that powerful presence that appeared moment's ago" was Bluebell's response, however before a large tremor shook the island alerting both Holiday members in the process. "If you haven't before I'm positive you have now". He continued before dashing towards the general location that the tremor originated. Arriving at the location, Bluebell was treated to the sight of a large damaged area and unconscious grunts spwed about, while the conscious ones attempted to gather their wits. Glancing from the damage to the source, Bluebell couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine as he instantly recognized just who the intruder was. "Why is Faceless Knight here" was the thought running through his mind as he tried to recall any reason for her appearance. Attempting to keep his face as blank as possible something which was easy considering exactly what he was, Bluebell made his presence known by walking into her line of sight. "Perhaps I should feel honored that the great captain of the Round Table Pirates has decided to grace us with her presence." he began as he sensed Rosalie begin to make her way towards his location. "However I must ask, What is your reason for intruding upon our territory". Bluebell asked with a slight tilt of his head, while he felt his body warm up a bit as his Devil Fruit abilities activated in it's barest form. "Invading?" Judith thought to herself, hearing the Holiday Pirate speak. "Oh, I guess this is invading. I apologize." Judith bowed to the man in front of her. "I occasionally lose sight of what I'm doing, and I forgot to warn your Captain- Wait..." Judith stopped speaking, thinking to herself. "Ah, that's right! I've had to invade because I couldn't find a lead on your Captain...Evelyn, was it? Yeah, she's completely disappeared! So I figured I'd come to your strongest territory to try and convince her of joining us." Judith almost began to ramble again before she stopped in her path. "I should explain, actually. I wish for the Holiday Pirates to join us, the Pirate Sanctuary Alliance. You are a close ally of the Xros Pirates and right now the entire world is targeting them. I'm sure you don't want to get in the crossfire of something you can avoid, right?" Judith began to form two fists with her hands, before bringing them together, as if indicating two separate groups of people joining together. "We have recently allied with the infamous Notch Pirates too! With their prior knowledge, and yours, we can target the Xros at their weakest links and break them down, removing one of the strongest powers in the world and allowing all of us to grow greater because of it." Humming in thought as his posture remained as guarded as before, Bluebell couldn’t help agree but agree to Judith’s logic as even he could see the benefits in forming an alliance with the Round Table and the Notch Pirates. However despite the sound logic and potential power boost they could receive, Bluebell couldn’t bring himself to remotely give the idea a full consideration, as if nothing else he was a man who favored loyalty above all else and despite the Xros shortcomings, they had offered the Holiday Pirates protection and power when the rest of the world turned a blind eye to them. Already knowing that he wouldn’t humor Judith with the chance to continue her quest to seek out his captain, Bluebell gave her a disinterested look. "While I can see the benefits of forming an alliance with you, I will have to decline your offer seeing as neither my Captain nor a member of the season’s are here to do it." Was Bluebell’s reply as he waved off Judith request with little more than a grain of salt. "Besides." He began as he turned a piercing glare upon the Faceless Knight. "Unlike the Xros who gives us free reign to do as we please, I suspect that you will me more inclined to cage us down under your rule and command". "Hmmm..." Judith thought about what Bluebell had said, and realized the truth in his words. "You're not wrong. We are an alliance of equals. In an alliance of equals, one must impose restrictions on another, otherwise civil war will constantly break out between partners." As Judith said that, she responded to Bluebell's glare with harsh logic and a concerned face. "But if the Xros are giving you freedom...is that not equivalent to saying that they refuse to acknowledge you as a threat to them? Are you willing to accept that position of inferiority?" Judith asked out of concern. As a Knight, and as a Pirate, the one thing Judith valued above all else was personal strength and recognition of strength. To have that be taken away by someone was nothing more than insulting. Frowning at her response, Bluebell mentally wondered the possibility of the statement before banishing the thought as quickly as it appeared. "Regardless if your statement is proven to be true or not." Bluebell began as he continued to to analyze the situation mentally in the event things turned bad. "I will still have to decline your invitation Faceless Knight". He finished before discreetly glancing towards his left having faintly felt a presence before quickly returning his attention back to Judith. "Now, are you going to peacefully leave our territory or shall I be forced to remove you myself". Bluebell stated as a faint yellows aura encased his body. "Hmmm." Judith thought to herself, almost completely ignoring the man in front of her. "Are you sure I can't speak to your Captain at least once? It would be fairly rude to ignore a visitor's last plea, no?" Although Judith genuinely asked Bluebell a question, her social awkwardness caused the question to come across almost as a taunt for Bluebell to attack her, which was completely against what Judith aimed to do. Judith had stood tall in the face of the crisis that was the Holiday Pirate, Bluebell. To most ordinary New World Pirates, Bluebell would be an overwhelming force to deal with. The exceptional speed available to him thanks to the Light Logia he wielded was no doubt a great boon. However, on the likes of Judith, it was a force she had witnessed before. She did not care to pursue the man. In fact, she forced him to attack her. To Bluebell, she was an impenetrable wall that completely surrounded him in every which way. Any method of moving forward was annulled through her tremendous presence and extraordinary Busoshoku Haki, that seemingly expanded the width of her already large armor. She stood still, enabling her senses to work at their peak performance. Any movement Bluebell made, Judith had been a step ahead, and managed to counter with her armored gauntlets coated in Haki. Simply put, Bluebell's only option was to escape, lest he collapse due to exhaustion. "Are you sure you don't want to call your Captain yet?" Judith asked out of concern, while still coating her arms and expanding her armor outwards with an aura of Haki, that appeared almost like a Mecha from movies. "I really don't want you to die, otherwise making an alliance with you will be impossible!" "Haaah.... haaah..." Bluebell's frame was filled with a mixture of sweat and blood, he had reformed his body from its light form atop a hill. "Captain...?" A gritty smile made its way into his face, he held his arm, almost limp. This woman... her haki had been the toughest he had faced by then, the sturdiest. Bluebell had already had difficulties hitting her without getting wounded, once she added this next-level protection, there simply wasn't anything to do. "To inform you the very truth..." The sky seemed to darken a bit, a gust of wind passing by the two of them almost unnoticed, grass, trees, they shifted to the side briefly. Whereas no wind soared by the island before, now it did. "Our Captain, she is dead, Knight, she is dead!!" Bluebell cried out. "Don't you comprehend that we have been in an absurd spot?! The Xros... they observed us as nothing more than additions to their army... and we deemed them as the protection we needed." Judith stared in astonishment. First, her eyebrows were raised and a frown painted her face. "I'm sorry." She disabled her Haki and bowed apologetically to the crewmember. Then, she began to think out loud. "Wait...if your Captain is dead, why are you still a unified entity?" Judith began to twirl her hair in confusion, all the while wearing her helmet. "It's odd. When a Captain dies, everything dies with them. If you're still together acting as the Holidays...you have either accepted a new Captain, or your old Captain is around!" Judith pointed to the grieving Bluebell. She didn't realize, again, that she sounded accusatory. "Unified..." Bluebell's gaze fell, though that smile remained, the atmosphere tensed up by the second. "Most of us have simply chosen to resign..." Bluebell licked his lips, some animals rushed by them, at least the few that remained nearby despite their clashes. "But, you are correct in one regard..." Something exploded off the island, crossing the very air like a dashing shadow, it left trails on the atmosphere and loomed over them. Bluebell let his eyes widen and his mouth go agape, the oncoming shadow homed towards Judith's figure, stretching out a large object from inside their large cloak, both of which were dark. The object was long and sought to smash against her body directly, coming from right to left and through a blurr of a movement, like it had no form to itself. Judith could see the white hand of its bearer, moving just as crazily since it barely looked like a limb. A second after, the air had registered this new figure's arrival, hissing off and provoking even the earth to shudder, even then, they only focused on landing their blow against Judith herself. "...!" Judith's senses picked up on an enormous killing intent. Even without Haki, it was evident that the person coming for her life was nothing less than a monster. Judith couldn't afford to hold back. "THROW ME MY WEAPONS!" Judith exclaimed at the top of her lungs, releasing a small shockwave from the sheer strength of her vocal chords while signaling for her comrades to pass her weapons to her. Judith awaited for the opportune moment, and hoped her comrades would not be delayed. Harlan's ears twitched as he heard Judith call out for her weapons. Harlan was far from being too physically strong. He was more of a speedster than anything else. But he had an idea to get Judith what she had asked for as quickly as possible. The half-Mink's right forearm was encased in Busoshoku Haki, letting his Electro become one with it; forming the Mjölnir gauntlet. With what strength he could muster, he threw Judith's shield upwards, slamming his gauntlet into it. The shield took off like a frisbee, blazing towards Judith. As for her spear, Harlan did something similar, sending the spear hurtling towards her as a shuriken would. Judith could feel the mass of her weapons gliding through the air, and reacted accordingly. It didn't even take an instant, but Judith built up the requisite force while standing up to leap towards the air, leaving fissures on the ground that dug deep into the earth. Within the air, Judith held considerable freedom, and managed to precisely maneuver her way in-between both her shield and spear. With her left hand, she caught the shield, grabbing onto it firmly to completely stop its path. In the next moment, she grabbed the spear at its hilt, and despite being in an unfavorable position, managed to properly grip both of her weapons. Now her focus was behind her, towards the incoming force that sought to end her in a single strike. She simply wouldn't allow it. She, oddly enough, swung her shield backwards, building up such a strong gust that it turned her body's orientation to face her enemy despite her technically falling down. Immediately after, she began pushing her shield towards the ground, while pointing her lance upwards towards the enemy. Her motions actually caused the shield to send pressurized blasts of air to the ground, which contained enough energy to accelerate Judith to the sky, despite not possessing the ability to use the Marines' Geppo, or other similar techniques. With her shield maneuvers in her left hand, Judith pointed her lance in a jousting position, and the moment that she came close to the cloaked figure, she placed all of her strength within her right arm that held the lance. In that next moment, Judith sent out a thrust of such strength that the air could not help but orient itself around the strike, causing the gusts to overwhelm everything that was in the direction of her lance. She sought to clash head-on with her opponent's mighty weapon, and only prayed that those nearby were not enveloped in this clash of monsters. Their weapons were suddenly visible, their momentum going from one note to a completely new one, the figure gritted their teeth and tensed the muscles going up their right arm even more, pressing onwards with their weight. Usually, when warriors and beasts moved or attacked, the very air was breached and a singular air of pressure birthed on that point. However, that time the wind wasn't content with reverberating as one nor was it in control of itself, light originated from the point of contact between their weapons, all sound was cut short. Rings from all angles exploded offwards, shortly after one another, they even had their forms visible for a few seconds, breaking apart the scenery, the signal for the start of their fight. The shockwave initially caused by Judith's ascension was completely absorbed by these new ones, it didn't possess any chance of survival, blankets of dust flew over the rest of the area and, then, into the ocean with the ship of the Round Tables. Judith hadn't been bearing her weapons from the get-go, but the figure gave it no thought, even as they used their weapon first. She almost didn't see them coming, yet, given her focus upon Bluebell, it was more than understandable. The figure was shot back and skidded against the ground, until they were close to Bluebell's figure, easily towering him. Still, their cloak covered most of their appearance, masquerading their identity. The weapon they held was like a bladed, large guitar. At the conclusion of the shockwave, Judith could only grunt in response. The sheer amount of strength this person possessed equaled her own, and it was evident. The shockwave formed from their first collision managed to reach all the way to her ship, which was not a good sign. Judith had only hoped her allies would not get caught up in this unnecessary battle. As she landed on the ground, Judith saw the weapon that her adversary was carrying. It was a distinct weapon, one that she had seen echoed around in newspapers and in battles long before the Round Table Pirates were completely established. Judith's eyes widened at the realization of who was facing her, and her expression soon tensed up. She couldn't afford to hold back. Are You Happy? "Are you trying to fool me?" Judith asked a serious question, once again in a tone ill-fitting for the situation. "That weapon is one of the most feared O Wazamono in the New World, the Mabulrega! So, you're obviously its wielder...Cain D. Abel! Are you the Captain of the Holiday Pirates?!" Judith exclaimed. If Abel really was the Captain of the Holiday Pirates, then that would have meant all negotiations broke down at this point. Even if he was not a firm ally of Shiguma, the chances of Abel being on Judith's side were absolutely zero. He was an ambitious man, and would never side with anyone he thought was below him. Golden locks fell out of the dark cloak, green eyes peered through the blackness and stared into Judith's form. White was unveiled from within the darkness, white pertaining to some kind of armor, it fit properly around his body. Just like Judith had called him, it was Abel who stood before her, the warrior hailed as "Berserker", the one to oversee the many members and affiliatees of the Xros Pirates. But, for what reason...? "Fool you, dear?" Abel mused, letting his smile overtake his expression. "The Captain of that rowdy bunch...?" Slowly, the atmosphere close to his frame began to rise, taking on a surging red tone and spiky motion, Bluebell's eyes trembled as he looked at Abel. With his left hand rising, Abel approached it to his chest, "It's been such a long time... since I have founded the crew... was it?" Nothing but a moment, that was the timespan that the vision of a woman appeared over abel's frame, Bluebell's eyes almost shot out of his skull. Similarly, words shot out of his mouth. "E-Evelyn-san?!" There was simply no way, no way, she truly was there?! That aura, that tone, no mistake... "Ugh, of course it's you." Judith sighed. It wasn't necessarily at the appearance of Abel. Although the Berserker himself was an immense threat, it was the person behind him that caused Judith to lose her composure. "I was sure that huge pirate war had killed you all those years ago! Why are you back!?" Judith found the veins on her head being visibly clenched. Her anger was not intentional. In fact, it was completely unintentional. Simply put, the presence of this person had completely angered Judith. It was a reaction from all the years that Judith had been subjected to their whims. "That arrogant tone...the way you sound so oblivious to the world even though it's right in front of you...it's the most frustrating thing in the world! My former mentor, "Vagrant" Lambert Evelyn!" Despite Judith's complaints, what she didn't realize was that, all along, Judith's own tone matched the likes of Evelyn. Perhaps she rubbed off more from her mentor than she realized. That grunt, that noise of complaint, Abel's ears perked. "Oh dear..." He mused, bringing one hand to cup the air around his left ear. For a moment, he squinted his eyes, "Pirate war...?" Blood splattered within his mind, the shouts of people reverberated, swords and cannonfire filled the area, a hand reached for a person, his eyes widened. "Oh, you actually remember that while back!" Abel tilted his head. "You were just another runt back then, dear Judith," Abel hunched his head backwards a bit, prompting his vision to rise while it focused on Judith. "Where were you even during that fight? I can barely remember... but, the fact that you were there is enough! So young, yet, participating in what could've been said to be a Pirate War." He shook his head briefly, lowering it, then, looking back up. "I know many underestimate you, even now. As to why I'm back... you surely don't remember the power of my fruit. Well, it's not as if I told you everything." "I was protecting my country from idiots like you and the Hunting Pirates!" Judith flared up. She breathed outward, trying to retain her composure. Surely, those on her ship must have been shocked to see Judith actually having a temper at all. "So, then, Evelyn-sensei." Judith began to ask her former mentor, looking at her form as Abel directly in the eye. "What made the Holiday Pirates go from one of the biggest players in the world to the fragments they are today? You aren't telling me the Xros Pirates managed to assimilate you? You, along with the Hunting Pirates, were the Marines' top priority! Always!" Hunting Pirates, Xros Pirates, the war of them, more memories were clearer inside his mind than ever. "Assimilate us?" Abel shook his head to the side a few times. "I've never pledged full allegiance to them, but... I've been more in tune with my dearest numerals." Rising one hand, he used it to tuck some hair behind his ear, though, it came back and covered his mouth even. Rolling his eyes, he blew against the hair strand, "Argh." "I didn't think you held me in such a high regard, even when I was your teacher, runt." Abel suddenly let the Mabulrega go, yet, it did not meet the soil, rather, it drifted away mindlessly. A frown, his lips curved down, and his eyes stared into Judith. "But, to answer your question... I wanted to rid the New World of the Xros' slaving influence." "...Then why don't you join us, Evelyn-sensei? Or are the others stopping you? Surely you realized that my strength matches yours from our clash before." Judith slammed her lance into the ground, looking directly at Evelyn once more. "I remember you told me the first time I asked you to mentor me...That you didn't have the time to teach a baby how to breathe." Judith's eyes glistened red, and an incredible aura surrounded her being. "I'm sailing on the New World, protecting my comrades and vanquishing my enemies, with the lance, shield and armor you created for your son a long time ago! Don't you think it's about time to stop calling me runt!?" A breath, a blink, Abel wetted his lips swiftly. Bangs fell over a part of his eyes. "My son..." He held a hand out as if he was going to cup his face, whose smile had faded completely. "I- You wanted me to teach you what you already knew, not guide you," He rose his eyes and met Judith's directly, smile blossoming once again. "I only took you in when you figured that out... You've taken full advantage of your strength now." Flashes of their training together came by, the scenery had been that of Tintagel, a kingdom famous on its fighter royals and well trained infantry of knights. "I've got to know all of that, you have been face in newspapers," The Mabulrega continued to float away as Abel spoke. "However," The red aura from before sparked from his pores, illuminating both his skin and a small area around him, he clenched both fists and that prompted the aura to increase. "I'm yet to see it myself, dearest." Abel not using his famed weapon? Knowing whom he was at that very moment, such a doubt likely wouldn't cross Judith's mind. "Then I'm making the first move!" Judith spoke brazenly as she dashed forward. Even with her tremendously heavy armaments, Judith's movements were a blitz. Everything in her path moved aside as she heaved towards Abel. Without even a moment's hesitation, she propelled her arm forward, not once, but a dozen times in virtually a single instance, turning her massive spear into an illusory blur. However, although the attacks seemed like they were aimless, to someone as skilled as Evelyn, her attacks were all precise and decisive. Four of her thrusts were sent towards the center of both arms and legs, whereas the remaining seven strikes were localized around Abel's torso, in a bid to split his attention between the various targets and at least strike one of them. However, it was not merely the strikes her opponent had to worry about. The weight behind the strikes, the movement of the air as a cause of the strikes, everything was working against her opponent, almost as if she would be sucked into a maelstrom, with her spear leaving no tile untouched. Part of Abel's figure remained incredibly still as Judith moved towards him, only his arms rose in front of him, at that point, it would be very illogical for him to try and move away, she could simply catch up. Therefore, when his Haki flared up, Abel remembered that, against this kind of opponent, one that could match him, he had to devise a proper way to deal with her. Such Haki tried to cover as many areas as possible, whereas many fighters would simply cover their whole body for this task, Abel utilized the concept of flow to regulate its surge and be quick enough to act. With Abel's hands stretched and their fingers tight by one another's side, he shot both of them towards Judith, creating another blur amidst all of those. Though he knew that his jabs couldn't be the same as Judith's, due to her mighty spear, Abel sought on countering them in order to disrupt her own flow, something that could make her guard open for subsequent blows. That would happen as they thrusted through the air, forming distortions around it as if to signalize the sheer presence that such attacks had. Abel gritted his teeth and almost shut his eyes close, feeling the brunt of some of Judith's attacks against the surface of his Haki over his skin, nevertheless, he stared ahead at her with sharp eyes. What birthed between the two of them were nothing but fireworks of sheer pressure, rupturing on the atmosphere around them in the form of sounds and flashes. He tried using his own momentum in order to keep himself from flying away when hit by her jabs, ironically keen on sending Judith away instead. "Tch." Judith grunted as she felt Abel's movements and Haki surge around his body. Her attacks were being repelled ever so slightly, and although she felt a few move through, it wasn't enough. The moment her opponent was given the ability to move, he managed to create a shockwave strong enough to disrupt her momentum, thus pushing Judith back. "Even in another body...your form is as excellent as ever. But that won't be enough to stop me!" Judith rose her shield upwards and taunted her former master. "Come now, try break through my defenses if you can!" From her shield, an invisible wave of energy could be noticed trailing outwards. It interrupted the very air and caused a disturbance in others' perception of Judith. It was an advanced version of Busoshoku Haki that employed ripples to maintain its strength. Category:Role-Plays Category:Ash9876 Category:KontonMan Category:BQD Category:Ninshū Category:DamonDraco